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• Abortion

  Catholic Christians do not agree with abortion because life begins at conception, considering it as murder and against the Commandment 'do not kill'. Other Christians may accept abortion in certain situations if it's the most loving thing to do, based on the principle of 'love thy neighbour'. Buddhists may allow abortion if it's the most loving thing to do, as long as the intentions are good.
• Some Christians disagree with animal testing because humans are stewards and have a duty to look after the planet, including animals.
• Euthanasia


  Christians generally agree with passive euthanasia (e.g., turning off a life support machine) as they see it as God taking over and allowing nature to take its course. Buddhists are against euthanasia as it goes against the principle of ahimsa (non-harm) and builds up negative karma. Catholic Christians disagree with euthanasia as it goes against the Commandment 'do not kill' and the sanctity of life.
• Other Christians, such as Catholics, allow limited testing on animals if suffering is kept to a minimum and it helps save human lives, as humans are made in the image of God and efforts should be made to improve humans' quality of life
• Buddhists and Quaker Christians are pacifists, seeking peaceful ways to exist, with Buddhism emphasizing 'ahimsa' and 'Right Action' in the 8-fold path meaning no killing
• Other Christians may accept violence in self-defense, citing Jesus using force to drive people out of the temple who were not worshipping God there
• Other Christians may believe that weapons of mass destruction are sometimes acceptable as they deter countries from fighting, leading to less war and killing, thus protecting the sanctity of life
• Testing cosmetics on animals is considered cruel and unnecessary
• Buddhists will never be violent as they believe in 'ahimsa' which means no violence, and violence goes against 'Right Action' in the 8-fold path, where Right Action means not killing
• Some Christians disagree with animal testing because humans are stewards, meaning they have a duty to look after the planet, including animals
• Buddhists are against using weapons of mass destruction as it goes against 'ahimsa' and 'Right Action' in the 8-fold path
• Quaker Christians are also non-violent, refusing to take part in war because they believe the spark of God is in every person, so no one should be killed, and they say 'the spirit of Christ will never move us to fight'
• Buddhists believe in Ahimsa (no harm) as the first precept, applying to all living things, and testing on animals would likely break this rule
• Quaker Christians state that weapons of mass destruction are always wrong as they bring killing of God's children on a massive scale, and the spirit of Christ will never move them to fight
• Pacifism


  Non-violence
• Most Christians disagree with corporal punishment as it's seen as revenge rather than forgiveness, and they believe violence leads to more violence
• Most Christians try to forgive people who have wronged them, following the teaching of Jesus to forgive seventy times seven
• The first precept in Buddhism is ‘ahimsa’ (non-violence)
• Some Christians may agree with corporal punishment as a way to discipline children, citing the Bible quote ‘Whoever spares the rod hates their children. The one who loves their children disciplines them’
• Even Jesus used force to drive people out of the temple who were buying and selling there, instead of worshipping God there
• Some Christians may accept the death penalty in extreme situations based on the principle of 'an eye for an eye, a life for a life'
• Buddhism is about seeking peaceful ways to exist
• Most Christians disagree with the death penalty as it goes against the Commandment ‘Do not kill’ and the sanctity of life, and doesn't give the criminal a chance to reform
• Jesus: '‘Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the Children of God’'
• Quaker Christians

  • are pacifist
• Buddhists


  • are pacifist
• Right Action in the 8-fold path means no killing
• Other Christians are not pacifists. They believe war is acceptable as long as the Just War rules are followed to help achieve long-term peace and protect human rights
• Buddhists disagree with the death penalty as it promotes revenge, which comes from hatred, one of the 3 poisons
• Buddhists disagree with corporal punishment as it promotes revenge, which comes from hatred, one of the 3 poisons
• Most Christians try to forgive people who have done something wrong to them
• Some Christians believe you have to be Christian to get into heaven. Jesus says ‘no one comes to the father except through me’. Other Christians believe God made all people free and equal to choose how to express their religious beliefs. All humans are made in the image of God and have this important human right. Jesus didn’t force any
• Buddhists will try to forgive as it’s letting go of hatred, one of the 3 poisons. This is vital on the path to enlightenment
• Most Christians think women should have an equal status to men in religion, and be allowed to be priests. This is because everyone is made in God’s image and everyone has God’s spark in them. St Paul said ‘There is neither Jew nor Greek, male nor female, for we are all one in Christ Jesus’
• Catholic Christians do not allow woman priests as they cannot hold positions of authority in the church. It says in the Bible that ‘women should not teach or have authority over a man’. They have other important roles, however, such as being good mothers
• Forgiveness helps you move on and the criminal be reformed
• Buddhists don’t have a fixed amount they should give to charity but believe you should help the poor to bring good karma. This also stops greed – one of the 3 poisons
• Speaker: 'Quote'
• Many Buddhist groups allow women to be nuns. This is because they believe everyone is equal and has the ‘Buddha-nature’ within them
• Jesus taught forgiveness. He said ‘forgive seventy times seven’, meaning you should forgive over and over again